BASEBALL
+ Raiders’ Boyd pitches no-hitter
Of all this week’s individual performances, one stands out in particular: Plant City sophomore Ryan Boyd pitched his second no-hitter of the season March 20, setting the Raiders up for a 7-0 win over East Bay.
Although he gave up three walks on the day, Boyd struck out 14 batters — almost three times as many as in his last no-no, a Feb. 21 10-0 win over Tampa Bay Tech.
Although Boyd didn’t pitch in the March 24 rematch with TBT, another solid pitching performance — three scoreless innings by P.J. Almon — kept the Raiders in the game and secured the 3-2 win on the road.
Meanwhile, Strawberry Crest’s batters came up big late in the Chargers’ 5-2 road win March 24, over East Bay. The Indians held a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, when the Chargers scored three runs to take control. Crest gave up a run in the fifth inning, keeping things interesting, but the offense scored in the final two innings, and pitchers Cory Smith and Ben Welch finished strong to preserve Austin Boatright’s win.
It was a good day for Flabio Garcia and Tyler Chancey: Garcia finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double, and Chancey finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Durant has looked great since returning from the Saladino Tournament, notably picking up a 4-3 win March 19, over Newsome. That road win served as revenge for a 2-0 loss in the tournament and was powered by Garrett Wright’s 4-for-4, one-RBI, one-run day at the plate.
SOFTBALL
+ Plant City-area teams produce wins
Plant City softball has been on a tear since losing to Land O’Lakes on Pi Day.
Since that loss, the Lady Raiders have been on a six-game win streak, and have outscored opponents 46-1 in their last four games.
Most recently, they blew out Tampa Bay Tech, 17-0, over three innings March 24. Eleven batters picked up a hit in the win, and five tied for the lead with two hits apiece. Of those batters, freshman Edmilly Molina led the team with three RBI and a triple, and also scored a run.
Avery Brown and Rebecca Sorenson also had a great day at the plate, as each finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two doubles. Sorenson had three runs scored, while Brown had one.
Noelle Dietrich pitched all three innings, giving up just one hit and striking out five.
Strawberry Crest also got a big win March 24, a 10-0 hammering of East Bay.
Durant played two home games over the weekend, a pair of 15-0 shutouts over Tampa Bay Tech (March 21) and Middleton (March 22). Only four girls registered hits against TBT, but 14 scored runs and nine finished with RBI. Saturday’s win was helped largely by sophomore Selena Bezares, whose five RBI and two runs scored led the Lady Cougars. Amanda Lasky went all three innings and struck out six.